


Bellissimo Angioletto

by MCR_Lover221B, tonysnark96



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, past abusive relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2020-06-02 21:46:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19450123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCR_Lover221B/pseuds/MCR_Lover221B, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonysnark96/pseuds/tonysnark96
Summary: "They say the loveliest angels make the cruelest demons, and my darling, you were so kind and beautiful before they dragged you to hell."Tony Stark. A name known to many, especially the many women and men he's had in his bed over the years. How do you think he gained the reputation of a playboy?After his ordeal in Afghanistan, Tony is looking to change his reputation. When he gets an email from a journalist named Sasha O'Hara asking if she can write a negative article about his father, he decides to help her by allowing her to interview him. This is his era of change after all. When he meets Sasha, though, he decides maybe he doesn't want to give up the whole playboy thing just yet.After a one-night stand, Tony starts to feel something more for the beautiful Irish woman he has curled up beside him in his bed. One night of love turns into a day, then a week...and then he's telling her he's Iron Man.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a Tony Stark fanfic that takes place from Iron Man all the way to Age of Ultron. Please read and take note of the tags. 
> 
> Also, just a quick thing. Aaron from my Heroes Rising Saga book is in here as well, but because I haven't really touched that book in a bit and I love him, I decided to write him in here too. So he'll bein here eventually, but this book is not connected to that series at all. This is set in it's own separate universe.

**From:** **SOHara@latimes.net** [**  
** ](mailto:SOHara@latimes.net) **Subject: Editorial**

Mr. Stark,

My name is Sasha O’Hara. I’m a journalist for the LA Times and I have an editorial idea that I would not only like your permission for, but your help in writing. 

It’s come to light in recent years that Howard Stark wasn’t the great man many people thought he was. These accounts come from reliable sources that I’m willing to send you and paint a picture of what he was like in his personal life rather than the spotlight. 

I understand if this is a sore subject for you and why you wouldn’t want to see this content publish. As such, I will refrain from writing or publishing anything on the subject until I hear back from you. I understand if your answer is a no, or if you give your permission, you don’t want to be involved. 

I hope you will consider. 

Thank you,  
Sasha O’Hara, LA Times. 

**From:** **SOHara@latimes.net** [**  
** ](mailto:SOHara@latimes.net) **Re: Editorial**

Mr. Stark,

Please disregard my email about the editorial. It was sent the day you were abducted and you may have just seen it. I don’t want to cause any stress to your mind at this time. I hope all is well.

Take care,  
Sasha O’Hara, LA Times.

**From:** **aestark@si.net**[ **  
** ](mailto:aestark@si.net) **Re: Editorial**

Ms. O’Hara, 

I would just like to say, not only do I approve of your choice of topic for an article, but I also would love to give you an interview, giving you an even better inside look than what any scoop you could get from virtually anyone else. Or at least, anyone that’s still alive at this point of time. 

If you’d still be interested in doing this article, send me an email back, and I’ll provide a date, time, and place that would work best for me, and you can confirm if it’ll work for you. 

Have a good day,   
Anthony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries


	2. One

Sasha O’Hara walked into the restaurant where she was supposed to meet the one and only Tony Stark. She couldn’t believe that not only had he actually responded to her, but he had agreed to everything she had asked of him. It made her wonder if he was mentally sound, but after what he had gone through who would be? At least she could finally get an article done to get her boss off her back. She didn’t like anything Sasha brought to her. 

The redhead walked up to the hostess. “Hello. I’m here to meet Tony Stark, I believe he might already be here?”

"Oh yes," the hostess said, smiling. "You must be Ms. O'Hara then?"

“Yeah,” she smiled back at her. “Here.” She got out her ID for the hostess to see that she was, in fact, a journalist and not some random woman who was trying to get in Stark’s pants.

The hostess looked at it for a moment, before nodding her head. "Alright. Follow me then, Ms. O'Hara." She lead her over to the booth where Tony Stark was sitting. "I'll get a server to you guys then." And then she was gone.

Sasha smiled kindly at Tony, holding out her hand for him to shake. “Mr. Stark, thank you for agreeing to this.”

He reached out to shake it, a smile on his face, though Sasha thought it looked a little forced. "No problem. Ms. O'Hara," he said.

Sasha sat down across the booth from him. “I apologize if this is intrusive, but are you okay? I mean, after everything that happened?”

Tony frowned at the question. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. Then, sighing, he shook his head. "Actually, not really. But, it doesn't matter." 

Sasha frowned. “Yes, it does. I know you might not trust me, given what other reporters have done to you, but...do you want to talk about it? I don’t mind, really.”

Shaking his head, Tony said, "No thank you."

Sasha smiled at him. “Alright. Let me know if you change your mind. I hope things get better, though.”

Tony's eyes widened. "Alright," he said, his voice a little quiet. "Thank you." He smiled at her. "Do you want to talk about what I came here for? You know, your article?"

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” She shook her head and grabbed a notebook where she’d written questions and a tape recorder. “Do you mind if I record our conversation?”

"Of course not."

Sasha smiled and turned the device on before opening her notebook. Just as she was about to ask the first question, though, the waiter came over. 

“Can I get you started with something to drink?”

“Uh, just a water please,” Sasha smiled. She barely had enough money to buy a meal today, and it didn’t help that she was at a fancy restaurant.

"I'll take your finest wine," Tony said, smiling at the waiter. 

“Alright, any appetizers?”

Sasha shook her head. “Not for me.”

"I'll take some mozzarella sticks," Tony told the waiter. He shot a quick glance at Sasha, before adding, "Make it enough for two." 

Before Sasha could protest, the waiter was gone. She gulped and looked at Tony. 

“You didn’t have to do that. I can pay you back.”

He immediately shook his head. "Don't worry about it." 

“I feel bad, though.” 

"Don't worry about it," he repeated. 

Sasha turned back to the notebook, feeling a bit overwhelmed. That would just have to be her lunch, then, she couldn’t afford anything else. “Uh...back to the interview...” She forced herself to put her brain back on track. “What did you think of Howard?”

"He was a terrible father." 

Sasha blinked in surprise. She’d expected that he might be harsh, but not  _ that _ blunt. “Oh. I’m sorry. Uh, what are the worst things he did, in your opinion? Don’t hold back.”

"Would you believe me if I sad there are far too many things for you to fit in a decent length article? You'd have to dedicate the entire newspaper to all the shitty things he did to me growing up.  _ And _ we'd be here all night." 

Sasha’s eyes widened. “I...I’m so sorry.” She looked back at her notebook and kept asking questions and jotting down little things she noticed about the way Tony answered, like his tone and his body language. She’d share this with him once she was done to make sure he was okay with the way she’d portray him. 

Soon, the waiter came back with the drinks and the appetizer. “Are you ready to order?”

Tony nodded his head. "Actually, yes. I would like your lobster, please." He looked over at Sasha. "What did you want to eat?"

“Uh, I’m okay.” She told the waiter, smiling. 

“I’ll get that started for you, Mr. Stark.” The waiter walked away. 

Tony frowned at her. "You could've ordered something," he told her.

“I, uh...I don’t have a lot of money right now.” She looked back down at the notebook, hoping she didn’t sound like she was trying to get him to buy her food. “Anyway...was there anything good about Howard, or would you say the bad outweighs the good?”

"Definitely the bad outweighs the good," he muttered. He looked at her, frowning. "I'm paying for the meal anyway, so it doesn't really matter if you have money to pay for it or not, right?" 

“I was going to get my own check.” She said. “I can pay for my part of the appetizer.” 

He shook his head. "I got that for you," he said. "I'm the one who ordered it, therefore I'm paying for it." He tilted his head. "You're an interesting lady, Ms. O'Hara," he observed. 

“What do you mean?” She asked, confused.

"Most people wouldn't think twice about letting me pay for their meal," he said, shrugging. "It's expected of me, considering how I'm normally the wealthier one." 

Shrugging, Sasha said, “I think it’s sweet that you would offer, but I don’t want to be in debt to anyone.”

"You wouldn't be in debt though," he argued. "You don't have to pay me back."

“I just...I feel bad about it.” She looked down at the notebook again, surprised to see that she’d asked all the questions. “Oh. We’re done with the interview, apparently.”

"You have nothing to feel bad about though," he said. "I'm offering to pay for you, right? You didn't ask me to pay?" 

“No, I’ve done the opposite,” she chuckled. 

He smiled. "See. So, let me pay for you this once, and don't ever worry about it again, okay?"

“Okay...I still feel bad about it, though.” At least she’d have money to buy some food for Larry.

"It's okay," he said. "Honestly."

“Thank you, Mr. Stark. I really do appreciate it.”

"Tony," he said. "Call me Tony." 

“Okay. Only if you call me Sasha, though.”

"Alright," he said, smiling. "I'm Tony, you're Sasha. Easy enough." 

Sasha laughed at that, and it turned out she wouldn’t stop laughing for quite a while. It seemed that in addition to being a genius, Tony was also an excellent storyteller. Sasha lost track of time as Tony made her laugh until her sides were sore with stories about his days at college and his friends Rhodey and Happy.

Tony frowned as he finished up his meal. "I can't believe we're done," he murmured. He looked up at Sasha. "Is it bad I don't want to say bye to you yet?" 

She blushed and looked down at her plate, taking another bite of the burger Tony had practically forced her to get. “No. I don’t really want to say bye either.”

He smiled at her. "Would you be interested in coming home with me?"

Her eyes widened. “Oh...um...sure. Sure. Why not?”

"Good," he said, grinning, as he waved the waiter over to their table.

Sasha started packing up her things, trying in vain to give Tony just a little money, but he just wouldn’t accept it. Once the check was paid, they went out to Tony’s car. 

Tony got into the back, after holding the door open for Sasha to get in. Once they were both in, Tony looked up front. "Alright, Happy, drive, please."

"Of course, Tony," Happy replied, as he started to drive. 

Once the car started moving, Tony turned to Sasha, smiling. "Would you be opposed to me kissing you?" 

“Oh. If you want to.” Her face turned as red as her hair.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss against her lips, and she kissed him back tentatively. After a few moments of kissing, he pulled away, a huge grin on his face. 

“That was my first kiss in years, I hope it was okay.” She looked down at her lap. 

“It was perfect,” he promised, causing Sasha to blush.    
  
Tony looked up at where they were. “We’re here,” he said, grinning. “Come on.” He opened the door, before running around to open hers as well, holding his hand out for her to grab.    
  
Sasha smiled and took his hand. "You're such a gentleman, and quite handsome too?"   
  
“And you’re absolutely breathtaking,” he replied, as he lead her inside his mansion. “Come, let’s go upstairs to the bedroom.” 

“Uh, I should let you know that I haven’t had sex in a while either. So if I’m not good, I’m sorry.” Sasha was beginning to stress about it. What if he didn’t like her? What if her body wasn’t good enough? Had she shaved that morning? Oh, God, she couldn’t remember. 

"It's okay," he reassured. "Uh...if you're not comfortable, we don't have to do anything. I don't want you to have to feel like you need to have sex with me."

“No, I’m okay with it. I just...I might need a couple of minutes. I’m not uncomfortable, though.”  _ Just very self-conscious, _ she added in her head. 

He nodded. "Take all the time you need," he told her, as they entered his bedroom. 

“Wow...it’s really nice.”

"I know," he said, chuckling. "I designed it." 

After several minutes of Sasha trying to prepare herself by looking around the room in marvel, she turned to Tony, and whispered, “I’m ready.”    
  
“You sure?” he asked. She nodded her head, and Tony smiled at her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the bed, where he started out by kissing her again, this time a little more passionately. 

Sasha kissed Tony back, unbuttoning her blouse. “I want you...” It was true, she did want him, more than any man or woman she’d found attractive since she’d left her ex. But she was so scared of what it could mean. 

"Okay," Tony whispered, helping her take her clothes off, before then taking his off as well. 

Sasha helped him, staring in wonder at the arc reactor. For some reason, she found the blue glow strangely beautiful. “Wow...”

"I know, it's weird," Tony murmured, his face slightly red. 

“No, no...I don’t think it’s weird. It’s beautiful.” She looked up at him. “Can I touch it?”

His eyes widened a bit in clear surprise. "Uh, sure," he whispered.

Sasha gently ghosted her fingers over the arc reactor. “Tell me if I’m hurting you.” Sasha wasn’t a technical person, so she didn’t know why she found the reactor as beautiful as she did. Maybe it was the intimacy behind it, as this could be interpreted as Tony’s functional heart and, therefore, she was seeing and touching his heart. “This is what’s keeping you alive?”

He nodded his head. "Yeah," he whispered, as he watched her touch his arc reactor. 

“Does it hurt?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. 

Sasha looked up at him, staring into his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Tony. I can’t imagine what you went through...” She ran her fingers through his hair. 

He let out a small murmur of happiness. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'm still alive...that's all that matters."

Sasha nodded, smiling at him. “Do you have condoms?”

He nodded his head, and reached into his cabinet next to his bed, grabbing a pack of them out. “Here you go,” he said, smiling at her. 

“I think they’re more for you than me,” Sasha laughed. 

He shrugged as he took the condom and quickly slid it onto his cock. "Alright," he murmured. "You sure you're ready?"

She nodded. “Just...go slow, please? It’s been a few years.” 

“Of course,” he promised, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. He lined his cock up to her entrance, and slowly started to press into her. 

Sasha let out a small whimper, the burning feeling that she’d had when she lost her virginity coming back. She hadn’t thought she’d ever feel that pain again…

“You okay?” Tony asked as he stilled slightly. 

Sasha nodded. “Yeah, like I said, it’s been awhile. It’s not your fault.” She kissed him gently. 

"Okay," he said, as he started to press into her again. "Fuck..." he whimpered, as he bottomed out. “Let me know when I can move?” 

Sasha gave herself a few minutes to adjust. Soon, the pain subsided and she only felt full. “Alright. You can move.”

He simply nodded his head, and slowly slid his cock almost all the way out, before slowly thrusting back into her. 

Sasha let out a soft moan as he did so. He definitely knew how to please a girl. “Oh, Tony...”

"That good?" he asked, a slight smirk on his face. 

She nodded her head. “Very good.” 

"Good," he whispered, as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, and he continued to thrust into her. "Can I go faster?" he asked. 

“Yeah, please do.” She wrapped her arms and legs around him. 

He immediately started going faster, and angled his cock slightly, as he thrust into her.

Sasha let out a gasp as he did. “Oh, fuck, right there.”

He did as she asked, and slammed his cock into the same spot he just had. "You like that?"

She arched her back, groaning as he did so. “God, yes...more, please!”

"You feel so amazing," he whispered into her ear as he continued to fuck her. "So fucking good...like your cunt was meant to be fucked by my cock."

Sasha tightened her grip on him, feeling tears of pleasure come to her eyes. “You’re making me feel so good…”

He smiled at that and continued to thrust into her, kissing her gently on the forehead. "So good..." he echoed. 

Sasha started to cry in pleasure, bucking her hips

Tony immediately stilled his actions. "Are you okay, Sasha?" he asked. "Did I hurt you at all?" He was frowning, clearly worried. 

Sasha wiped her eyes and smiled up at him. He was so sweet, so kind... “No, no, not at all. It just...it feels  _ really _ good. No one’s ever made me feel this good before.” She kissed him on the lips. “Thanks for checking on me, though. I appreciate it.”

"Alright," he whispered, as he slowly started to thrust into her again.

She whimpered as he continued thrusting into her, making his way back to the pace he'd been going before stopping to make sure she was okay. 

“I’m getting close,” she panted. 

“Not gonna last much longer myself,” Tony admitted. 

Sasha gripped Tony tightly, gasping and crying out as she came, and he came shortly after, shooting his release into the condom, letting out a shuddering cry as he did so. She panted and held onto him, and Tony just held her close to him. Then, he carefully slid out of her, disposing of the condom in a wastebasket next to his bed.

Smiling at him, Sasha said, “I think that was the best sex I ever had.”

"Yeah?" he asked, grinning stupidly at her. "Really now?" 

Sasha gave him a gentle shove. “Don’t go getting a big ego on me, Stark, you were nearly perfect.”

He grinned at her. "Nearly perfect, eh?" 

“Yeah.” Sasha kissed him on the lips. “It’s okay if I stay the night, right?”

"Of course it is," he whispered. 

She smiled and wrapped an arm around him, cuddling close. “I’d say this interview was a success.”

He grinned. "Me too," he whispered, kissing her forehead, as he closed his eyes.

Sasha smiled at him, resting her head against him and closing her eyes as well. “Goodnight, Tony.”

She was surprised at how loving and gentle Tony had been. He always seemed to be perceived as someone who would be rough in bed, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. He was really a good guy and had made her feel good about herself, definitely better than her ex ever had. Sasha allowed herself to wonder if they could possibly have a future...but no, it probably wasn’t to be. Tony was notorious for getting girls into his bed, giving them a diamond bracelet as a thank you, and then sending them on their way. She would probably be no different. Still, it had been a good time and she didn’t think she’d ever regret her one night with Tony Stark. 


	3. Two

Before the sunlight could even think about flickering into the bedroom (not that it could unless Jarvis let it), Tony Stark had his eyes wide open and was about to get up out of bed, when the woman sleeping next to him shifted slightly closer to him. He took a moment to look at her, something he almost never did when it came to his one night stands...but Sasha O'Hara...well, she a different woman. 

He wasn't exactly sure what was unique about her, but he knew he felt something...different towards her. There was no way of exactly pinpointing out what that difference was, but he was quite curious as to figure out what it was. 

He smiled softly at her, as he laid back in the bed for a moment. He wouldn't stay there for long...just for a few moments. After all, he had a project that needed to be worked on and it wasn't going to wait. 

However, he kept staring at Sasha's sleeping form for a long time, before he finally let out a small sigh of happiness, and just decided to stay laying down, and maybe even get some more rest. He pulled the sleeping redhead a little closer to him, and closed his eyes, deciding he'd figure out his feelings in the morning proper. 

Several hours later, Tony opened his eyes for a second time, and he smiled at the still-sleeping Sasha, for some reason content just laying there for a while longer. 

Sasha soon awoke as well, blinking as she looked around, as though she was trying to remember where she was. When she laid eyes on Tony, though, a smile broke out across her face. “Morning.”

"Morning, sleepy," he whispered. "Sleep well?"

“Very well.” She stretched. 

"Good," he said, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm glad to hear that." 

“How did you sleep?” Sasha asked. 

“Better than most nights,” he replied, smiling at her. 

“That’s good.” She placed her chin on his chest, smiling dopily as she gazed at him. 

He absentmindedly reached his hand to slide through her hair. "Yeah," he whispered, as he continued to just gaze at her. "What do you want to do today?" he asked. "The sky is the limit."

“I don’t know... What do you want to do?” Sasha sounded confused. 

"I mean, we can do whatever you want," Tony murmured, not entirely sure why he was offering. Normally he'd just let the girl leave his house...but then again, he normally never let himself be in the same room when the girl woke up. This was an entirely new circumstance for him and he wasn't really sure what to do about it. 

“Why don’t we start with breakfast?” Sasha said. 

"Alright," he replied. "Where do you wanna go?"

“Maybe we could just stay here?”

Tony looked at her, confused. "You don't want to go out and eat?" She definitely wasn't like any other girl he'd been with...which both made him happy and confused him. 

“I mean, I’m not opposed, but I wouldn’t mind just staying here.”

"Oh...uh, alright," he said, smiling at her. "Let's go downstairs. Uh...Jarvis, is there any food here?" 

"Miss Potts is currently making breakfast," Jarvis replied. "Would you like me to inform her that she should make another plate?" 

Tony wrinkled his nose. "Uh, yeah, probably." He looked at Sasha. "Sorry if breakfast is terrible, by the way. Pep is good at a lot of things, but cooking is  _ not _ one of those things."

Sasha looked around shocked. “Who was that?”

"That was Jarvis," he said, smiling. "He's my AI, he runs everything in the house for me." 

“Oh. That’s...pretty cool.” Sasha smiled. “I’m sure Pepper’s food is fine. It’s kind of her to cook for me, anyway.” She stood up and stretched. “Is there anything for me to wear?”

"Yeah," Tony said, standing up himself, not bothering to put on clothes yet. He grabbed a spare hoodie from his closet and handed it to her. "Here you go," he said, smiling at her. 

“Thank you.” She kissed his cheek before she put on her bra and the sweatshirt. 

"No problem," he said, smiling. "You uh...you look really good in my sweater."

She blushed as she pulled on her pants. “Thank you.”

"Of course," he said. "Uh, I should probably get dressed too." He quickly threw on an ACDC shirt and a pair of jeans. "I'm ready, you?"

"Thanks," said, smiling at her.

“You seem kind of...off. Is everything okay?”

"What do you mean by off?" he asked, tilting his head.

“Just like...you seem kind of like you’re confused by something.”

"No, not confused," he said. "Intrigued." 

“Oh. I hope it’s good.” She smiled at him as she brushed her hair. “Not to be rude, but I honestly thought I’d be kicked out by now.”

He chuckled. "I see my reputation precedes me," he commented. "What if I don't want to kick you out though?"

“I mean, I have a pet at home I need to get back to. He’s probably hungry.”

He frowned. "Would you want to come back afterward?" He wasn't entirely sure why he was so desperate for her to come back, but he didn't want to say goodbye to her...not yet. 

“If you’d have me.” Sasha smiled at him. 

"I would love for you to come back," he whispered. "I just...I feel something different for you, something I haven't felt in a long time, and I don't want to give that up yet. I know it sounds crazy but..." He shrugged.

Sasha’s eyes widened. “Oh...oh, okay. I’d like to try a relationship with you.”

"Yeah?" he asked, hopeful."I'm kind of a hard person to deal with, just warning."

“So am I.” She shrugged. 

He smiled. "You're absolutely certain you want to do this?" he asked. "I just don't want you to regret it, is all."

“If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But...I want to try it. You seem really nice and I genuinely like you.”

"Alright," he said, grinning. "Can I kiss you?"

“Of course.” Sasha smiled. 

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, gentle at first, and then more eager after a few moments. 

She smiled as she kissed him back. “There are a few things we should talk about first...”

"What do you mean?" he asked. 

“I don’t want kids. Like, ever. It’s a dealbreaker if you do.” She paused. “I also have a chinchilla. His name is Larry.”

"A-a chinchilla?"

“Yeah. Is that a problem?”

He immediately shook his head. "No, not at all. It's just...unusual, I guess." 

Sasha giggled. “I went in to adopt a fish, but he just looked so sad so I went home and did some research before I came back to adopt him.”

"That's adorable," he said, grinning. "Also, if it makes you feel any better, I have no desire to have kids." 

“That’s good.” Sasha smiled. 

"Pepper's probably waiting for us downstairs," he said, chuckling. "Afterwards, you can go feed, uh, Larry?" 

“Okay,” Sasha laughed. “I’ve heard a lot about Miss Potts, it’ll be nice to meet her in person.”

"You'll like her," Tony promised. "She's really nice, and she'll be happy I've decided to actually try to have a relationship. I'm sure she'll love you." He kissed her cheek, and then just stared at her for a while, grinning at the thought of them being together now. 

Sasha wrapped her arms around his neck, resting their foreheads together. “I like you, Tony Stark.”

"And I like  _ you _ , Sasha O'Hara," he breathed

She kissed him gently. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

"You've got your priorities set straight," he chuckled. "That's good to know. "Come. I'll introduce you to Pepper." He grabbed her hand to lead her down to the dining room. 

Sasha followed him giggling, and Tony just smiled the whole time as they walked downstairs, hand in hand. He still couldn’t figure out how he’d managed to stumble upon someone quite as unique as Sasha was, but he also wasn’t going to question it too much. It was rare for him to meet someone who didn’t try to take advantage of his money at every turn possible, so it was nice that he finally met a girl who didn’t seem to care about his money at all. 

When they got downstairs, he called out, “Pep?” 

She looked up, eyes narrowing. “Yes?”

"Hey, Pep," he said, smiling. "Uh, this is Sasha O'Hara." 

“Pleasure to meet you.” Sasha grinned, holding out her hand, while Pepper stared at her for several moments, before finally shaking it. 

Tony just smiled at them. "Sasha is a reporter for the LA Times," he told Pepper, proudly. "She's writing an article about how bad of a guy Howard actually is."

That made Pepper crack a smile. “Finally, some honest journalism.”

“I try.” Sasha chuckled

"We've decided to try a relationship," Tony told Pepper. "Isn't that great?"

“A relationship?” She looked from Sasha to Tony. “Uh, yeah. Whatever makes you guys happy.”

Smiling like crazy, Tony nodded his head. "Yeah, she makes me really happy, Pepper." 

“He makes me happy, too.” Sasha smiled. 

Tony reached under the table to squeeze her hand. "Does Pepper's food look good, Sasha?" he asked. 

“Yes, it does.” Sasha smiled at her. “Thank you, Pepper, it’s very kind of you.”

"No problem," Pepper said, smiling at her, though it looked a little off. 

Tony bit into the food, making a small face, but eating it otherwise. "Yeah, it's good," he lied.

Sasha took a bite as well, and she actually liked it. “It’s really good!”

Pepper just smiled at her some more. "Nice to know  _ someone _ appreciates my food," she commented dryly. 

"Hey, I appreciate your food!" Tony defended. "I'm eating it, aren't I?" 

Pepper just shook her head. "Doesn't mean you actually appreciate it though." She turned to Sasha. "I'm glad  _ you  _ like my food though." This time her smile seemed slightly more sincere. 

“So how long have you and Tony been working together?”

Pepper smiled at her. "About fifteen years now," she said. "I was previously working at a job similar to this one but with quite an...unpleasant boss. Thankfully, Tony is nothing like he was, I see him as my brother. A brother I would do  _ anything _ for." That last part was delivered a little sharper than the rest, and directly to Sasha. 

Tony frowned a bit. Did Pepper have an issue with Sasha, or was she just being overly protective like normal? He'd have to have a talk with her later about it. 

Sasha just smiled. “Noted. I’m glad he has someone like you. He’s lucky.”

Nodding her head, Pepper said, "I know he is. He needs someone to watch his back, coz heaven knows he doesn't always know who to watch out for." 

Sasha chuckled and finished up her breakfast. “I should be going to feed Larry. Is there anywhere I can put my dishes?”

"Larry?" Pepper asked, curiously.

"Her chinchilla," Tony replied, smoothly. He turned to Sasha. "Here, I'll take care of your dishes, if you want to give them to me?" 

“Oh, okay, if you’re sure?” Sasha tilted her head.

He nodded his head. "Yeah I am," he said, smiling.

“Okay. Thank you.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll come back later, if you want? I just need to feed him and take him out for bonding time, then I can come back.” She paused. “Oh! Do you want your hoodie back? I can change...”

"Yeah, of course, I want you to come back," he said, kissing her lips gently. "And you can keep the hoodie." He smiled as he looked at her again before leaning towards her to whisper into her ear, "You look really sexy in it." 

Sasha’s face turned red. “Do I now?”

Nodding his head, Tony said, “Definitely.” 

She smiled stupidly and looked away. “I’m gonna call a cab...”

"I could always text Happy and have him be here shortly to give you a ride for free," he suggested. "That way you don't have to pay at all if you don't want to." 

“No, I don’t wanna make him do more work.” She said. “I can just get a cab.”

He shrugged. "Happy wouldn't mind. He likes working. Plus, it's kind of his job."

“It’s okay, really. You’ve already done so much.” Sasha kissed his cheek.

"Alright," he whispered, kissing her cheek as well. "I'll see you later then, once you get done taking care of Larry." 

“Alright.” She smiled and kissed his lips. “I’ll see you in about...three hours, maybe?”

"I'll be looking forward to it," he said, smiling. "See you, Sasha."

“See you soon, Tony.” The redhead kissed him once more, and then she was out the door. 

As she left, Pepper turned to Tony, giving him a soft smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “She seems different than the rest of your girlfriends, Tony.” 

“I know,” he murmured. “That’s why I like her so much.”    
  
“Just be careful Tony,” Pepper warned. “You never know who you can trust.” 

“That’s just the thing,” Tony argued. “There’s something about her that makes me just trust her already. I don’t know what it is, but I just...she’s really special, Pepper.” 

Pepper just sighed. “Alright, Tony…” 

Tony took care of his and Sasha’s plates, rinsing them off, and then headed back upstairs to his bedroom, where he picked up Sasha’s shirt, smiling as he threw it in the hamper. He would get it washed, and keep it here for her to wear while she was visiting. As he threw it in the hamper, his eyes caught the sight of something green on top of his dresser, and he walked over to it. 

_ I’m paying you back one way or another.  _ He chuckled as he read the note that was next to the five dollar bill on the dresser. He just took the money and put it in the top drawer of the dresser, already planning on using it to buy her something. She was definitely a unique woman, but he wasn’t about to not spoil her senseless while he still had her. 

He wasn’t an idiot. He knew he wasn’t exactly a good man, especially considering how he’d been blind enough to let under the table, black market, weapon dealings go on in his company for so long, but he was also trying to fix his past mistakes. There was no guarantee that Sasha would still want to be with him though if she knew all the horrors he’d discovered about what  _ his  _ company had done, what destruction  _ his  _ weapons he’d created had wrought upon the world. So, he was going to treasure his time with Sasha for as long as he could, until she realized how terrible of a man he was, and left him for someone far better than he. 

It was with that thought that he sat down on his bed, and just thought about the last night, and how special it had felt as he and Sasha had made love to each other. It wasn’t that often that he was quite that gentle with his bedmates, but Sasha had been so different than anyone else he’d ever shared a bed with. It was partially because she’d said that she hadn’t had sex in years, but also because for the first time in a very long time, he’d yearned to share a bed with someone for something far more than their looks. There was no doubt that Sasha was absolutely gorgeous, but it hadn’t been her looks that had made him want her the way he did. She was just so...different from anyone else, with her being stubborn about paying for herself and not seeming to care about his money. He knew she was special, and he didn’t want to let her go easily, but he wouldn’t make her stay if she ever wanted to leave him. 

He was just going to appreciate having her around for as long as he got her, and wasn’t about to take her for granted. She meant far too to him for him to treat his time with her any other way.


	4. Three

Sasha paced around her apartment as she waited for Tony to arrive. She’d cleaned it thoroughly while she waited, and she hoped it was fit for her boyfriend to see. Larry was chirping, no doubt her anxiety had rubbed off on him.

“Don’t mess this up for us," she told the chinchilla. 

As she was double checking to make sure everything was as cleaned as she liked, the buzzer went off, and she went to answer it. 

“Who is it?” she asked, just wanting to make sure it was Tony.

“Only the most charming guy in the world,” Tony’s voice came back. “Probably the luckiest too, but that remains to be seen yet.”

At that response, Sasha giggled. “Hm...I’ll allow you to come in.” She buzzed Tony in, praying this would go well.

After just a couple more minutes, there was a knocking at the door. "It's me, I promise," Tony called.

Sasha looked through the peephole before grinning and unlocking the door to let him in. “Hey.” She smiled at him.

"Hey," he said, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips. "I believe there was someone rather important to you that you wanted me to meet?"

“Oh, yeah.” Sasha took his hand and led him over to the chinchilla cage. “This is Larry.”

Larry sniffed at the air, putting his little paws on the bars of the cage.

Tony put his hand out for the chinchilla to smell. "Hey there, boy," he whispered. "Aren't you absolutely adorable?"

The white-grey chinchilla sniffed a little before moving away.

“I think he’s satisfied,” Sasha chuckled. “Do you wanna feed him?”

"Would he be okay with that?" Tony asked. "I don't want to make him super uncomfortable."

“He loves food, of course he’d be okay with it. I’ve been holding back his treat today so you could give it to him. Then he’ll definitely like you.”

"Alright," Tony said, chuckling. "I'll do it then." He smiled at her.

She blushed and went to get some lettuce out of the fridge. “He gets this once a week. He shouldn’t have it all the time, but he loves it.” She opened the cage and took him out, handing the lettuce to Tony. “Here, hold it out to him.”

He did as she told him to do. "Why shouldn't he have it all the time?" he asked. "Isn't lettuce good for him?"

“I’ve read that they shouldn’t have it all the time since it can give them tummy aches,” Sasha explained.

Larry sniffed at Tony’s hands before he took the lettuce from him, chirping happily as he ate it. He looked up at Tony for a moment and made a sort of purring noise before going back to his treat.

“He likes you.”

Tony chuckled. "I'm glad to have the chinchilla's approval," he told Sasha, smiling. "Seriously though, I know some people are kind of strict about not dating someone their pets don't trust, so it's nice that he likes me. Would he hate it if I pet him?"

“No, I’m sure he’d be alright with it.” Sasha took him out of the cage and went to sit on the couch. “He’s so soft.”

Following her, Tony sat down next to the redhead and stroked his hand through the chinchilla's fur. "Yeah he is," he said, smiling. "He's adorable too."

As Tony continued to stroke him, Larry chirped happily.

“Are you ready to go on our date?” Tony asked Sasha.

“Oh...I might have to change quick.”

“Why?”

“Because of what I’m wearing to hold a chinchilla.”

"Oh yeah," he said, chuckling. "Alright, go on and change. I'll be here waiting for you." He leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips.

“Okay.” She grinned, as she put Larry back into his cage.

As she got ready in her room, nervousness started to creep in. What if someone saw them? What if it caused her to get fired? Oh, god, what if Tony got sick of her? What if their interview had been some kind of fluke, and he decided he didn’t actually like her, that they didn't actually have any chemistry to make any kind of relationship work? 

Sasha forced herself to calm down. If all she did was focus on 'what if's' she wasn't going to enjoy the night. If anything, at least she’d get some good food out of this. She walked back out into the living room. “Hey.”

"Hey," Tony said, smiling. "Ready now?"

She nodded her head.

"Alright then, let's go," he said, smiling at her, as he held his hand for her to grab.

She took it, grinning. “Where are we going?”

"You'll see when we get there," he replied, winking at her.

She giggled and leaned against him, and he lead her down to the car where Happy was waiting for them. Once they got into the car, Happy took off, driving at a leisurely pace.

Tony turned to Sasha and smiled brightly at her. “You look absolutely stunning today, by the way.”

Sasha blushed and smoothed her dress. “You look really handsome.”

"Don’t I always?" He teased.

“Hm...I’ll have to think about that,” she quipped back.

"I'm offended," he said, clearly mock-hurt.

Just then, Happy pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant that looked even fancier than the one they'd had their interview at.

Sasha spluttered, choking on her own spit. “Where are we?”

Tony grinned mischievously. "Why, we're where we're gonna have dinner, of course."

“Tony, I can’t afford food here! I probably can’t even afford wine!”

"So?" he asked. "I'm paying, aren't I? You can pay for any dates you pick where we're going, and I'll pay for all the ones I pick where we're going."

“Tony!” Sasha felt like she was about to have a heart attack.

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

“I...nothing, it’s okay. I just feel bad that I can’t pay you back.”

He shrugged. "You don't have to pay me back though," he said. "What do I have to do to get you to understand that?"

“I just feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

"You're not taking advantage of me if I'm the one offering," he said, smiling. "I want to pay for you because this is a date, and I want to treat you right, okay?"

“Okay...” Sasha murmured

“What?”

“No, nothing.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry if I’m acting like I’m ungrateful...”

"You're not," he reassured. "I understand where you're coming from. I just want to be able to treat you properly now that we're dating." He leaned over to give her a gentle kiss. "Come let's go, they're only going to hold our seats for a little longer considering how I didn't put in any kind of reservation besides a quick call this morning."

“Okay.” Sasha smiled at him, getting out of the car.

They headed into the restaurant at that, and after a quick talk to the hostess on Tony’s part, they were lead to a quiet table in the corner of the restaurant. A waiter came up to them shortly after, taking their drink orders, and then leaving them with their menus.

Once he was gone, Tony turned to Sasha, a huge grin on his face. “Tell me a bit about yourself,” he suggested. “Besides everything I already know, that is.”

Sasha smiled back at him, unable to help it. He looked so adorable... “Well, you may have already guessed, but I’m Irish. I grew up in Ireland on a farm, but I moved here for college. I majored in journalism and I’ve never looked to go back to Ireland because of a lot of laws I don’t agree with there.” She took a sip of water that the waiter had brought them for while they waited for their drinks. “What about you?”

He shrugged. "I'm sure you already know most things about me thanks to all the reporters that have been endlessly stalking me since the day I was able to talk."

“I mean, I haven’t really kept up with stuff on you...” Sasha blushed when she told him. 

"You haven't?" he asked. "Well...let's see. I had a shitty dad, which you knew about already. He pressured me into growing up far too fast, graduated from college at age seventeen. At that same college, I met the man who has become my best friend, Colonel James Rhodes, although I call him Rhodey. Age 21, I lost both my parents and was forced to grow up even more and take over the company. Lots of company stuff then, lots of weapon creating. Slept with lots of people there too. Then, I got kidnapped, taken hostage, realized that my weapons were being used by terrorists, came back, disbanded the weapon creating part of my company, and then met you."

“I thought shutting the weapons down was cool,” Sasha murmured. “It seems like you’ve had a hard life. I’m sorry about that.”

He shrugged. "It's fine. I'm over it." He smiled at her. "Decide what you want yet?"

“I think I’m gonna go with sliders. You?”

"They make excellent steak here," he said, grinning.

“Can I steal a bite?”

“Of course you can.”

“Thanks.” Sasha smiled at him.

The waiter came back over then, and Tony and Sasha gave him their orders before they just continued talking to each other about their pasts, mainly with Tony telling her more about his past, especially his mother. Sasha was glad it seemed as though he had at least been close to one of his parents. After a while, their food came for them, and they started to eat.

After a few moments of them eating in quiet, Sasha broke the silence. “How are you feeling? I know some of your wounds were acting up the other day…”

He shrugged. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'm fine right now though, for the most part.

“Okay.” She reached across the table to take his hand. “You know you can talk to me about it, right?"

"Yeah," Tony murmured. "It was...it's not a pretty story though. The whole story is just...yeah." He frowned at her.

Sasha gave his hand a squeeze. “When you decide to tell me, I’ll be here for you.”

"I...they tortured me, Sasha," he breathed.

“Oh, Tony...” Her heart felt like it was about to break for him.

"They wanted me to make them the Jericho Missile and they tortured me so I would do it," he whispered.

“How did you get out?”

He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about that out here," he murmured.

“Okay.” She kissed his hand.

He smiled faintly at her. "Thank you," he whispered.

“You’re welcome.”

"You still want a piece of steak?" he asked her, clearly looking to change the subject.

“Yeah.” She smiled at him, feeling guilty, and worried that she’d upset him.

He held his fork up to her with a piece of steak on it. "Here you go," he said, smiling at her.

She took the steak. “Damn, that’s good.”

His grin turned massive. "Glad you agree." He took another bite quickly and then smiled at her again. "Would you be opposed to coming home with me again tonight?"

“No, I wouldn’t.” She shook her head.

"Great," he replied, grinning. "Eat up then."

Sasha dug into her sliders, as Tony ate the rest of his steak, while occasionally stopping to feed her a bite of it. Once they were done, Tony called the waiter over, giving him his credit card to pay for the dinner. When the waiter came back to hand back the card, Tony took it, smiling at the guy.

“Let’s go,” he told Sasha, smiling, as he laid a fifty onto the table for a tip.

“That’s kind of you.” Sasha nuzzled him as she took his hand.

He smiled fondly at her, as he lead her out to the car where Happy was once again waiting.

Sasha pressed close to him but jumped when she saw someone taking a photograph of them.

“You alright?” Tony asked quietly

“Someone took a picture of us...”.

“What? Who?” He started to look around for the person.

“I don’t know...they’re gone. It must have been paparazzi.”

He let out a sigh. "Well, there's not much I can do about it now, I'm really sorry." He frowned slightly at her.

“It’s okay...I just hope it doesn’t get back to my bosses.”

"Yeah," Tony murmured. "Let's just get home, yeah?" He kissed her gently on the temple. "I've got something I kind of wanted to do."

“What is it?” Sasha asked as she got into the car.

He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "I wanted to eat you out."

Sasha turned as red as her hair. “Yes, please.”

"You like the sound of that?" he asked, keeping his voice down.

“God, yes...it’s been so long.”

"That's a shame," Tony said, smiling at her. "I'll have to make it extra special then, just for you." He gently kissed her temple.

Sasha kissed him on the lips, trembling with anticipation.

Shortly after, they arrived at Tony's mansion, and the billionaire took her hand to lead her inside. "You ready?" he asked her. 

“Yes,” she whispered, nodding her head.

He smiled softly at her, and lead her up to his bedroom. "Alright," he whispered. "Let's do this." He kissed her gently.

She kissed him back, as she got undressed. “I’m ready.”

"Lay on the bed," Tony murmured. "Get yourself comfortable.”

Giggling, she did as he instructed. “Alright, I’m comfortable.”

He kneeled down onto the floor and started to slowly kiss his way up her thighs, making Sasha moan and sigh. When he finally made his way up her thighs, and to her entrance, he lapped at it very quickly, before going back to kissing her thighs. At that, Sasha’s whole body jolted and she let out a cry.

After a few more moments, Tony lapped at her entrance again, before slowly pressing his tongue inside of her.

“Tony...” Sasha moaned softly.

He started lapping at the inside of her cunt then, and after just a couple moments, nibbled gently at her clit.

Sasha’s back arched and she screamed. “Yes, right there!”

Tony just let out a small humming noise as he went back to just lapping at her insides, though after a couple more moments, he slid his finger inside of her cunt as well. That caused Sasha to start to writhe and shake.

After what seemed like hours upon hours of moaning and crying out Tony’s name as he ate her out like he was a starving man, Sasha came. She yelled Tony’s name, gripping his hair and holding him in place. When it was over, she brought him up for a passionate kiss.

“God, you’re amazing...” She panted.

He shrugged. "Just wanted to make it special for you," he whispered.

She brought him to lay down beside her. “Are you okay if I don’t...you know.”

"It's fine," he whispered. "I promise."

“Okay.” She smiled and cuddled him. “I had a really nice time tonight.”

"Me too," he whispered. "It was really great, honestly."

“Yeah...those were really good sliders.”

He laughed. "I'm offended, Sasha. Really offended that that was the best part of the night."

“Hey, you tried one of them,” she laughed. “Still, nothing beats Cheesecake Factory sliders. Can I take you there?”

"Of course you can," he said, smiling.

“Great.” She grinned.

He kissed her gently. "You're so amazing," he whispered, as he let out a small yawn.

“So are you.” She rested her head against him. “Let’s sleep.”

“Alright,” Tony murmured, closing his eyes.

Long after Tony drifted off, Sasha stayed wide awake, unable to sleep. She couldn’t stop worrying about the picture that had been taken of them...if it made its way to the desk of her boss, then she was bound to be a dead woman. There was no way she wouldn’t lose her job and all credibility. In short, she’d never work again.

And...what if Tony stopped wanting her? He’d had models and famous movie stars in his bed. Why the hell would he want her for much longer? After all, she was just some reporter who liked food a bit too much. There was no way this was going to last. But she didn’t want to be the one to make it stop, and she was just going to enjoy it while it lasted.


	5. Chapter Four

The next morning, Tony had awaken before Sasha. It was relatively early in the morning, but he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to get back to sleep. So, instead, he got up out of bed, quickly letting Jarvis to let Sasha know where he had gone when she woke. 

He got down to the kitchen, and found Pepper sitting at the table already. She looked up, and smiled at Tony. “Coffee’s made.”    
  
“You’re the best, Pep,” Tony said, smiling, as he went to make himself a cup. He sat down next to Pepper. “So...last night went really well,” he said, remembering the date with Sasha. It had gone so much better than he could’ve hoped for, and he was pleased with how it had ended too. Not that he even wanted to have sex with her after every time they went out. He’d be fine if they had just came back and cuddled with each other. 

Pepper gave him a small smile. “That’s really nice to hear, Tony,” she said. “I’m glad you two are getting along. Just...remember what I told you about being careful who you can trust. She’s a reporter, and remember the last reporter you brought home…”    
  
“You mean Everhart?” Tony asked. “Trust me, Sasha isn’t like that at all.”    
  
Pepper just shook her head. “Alright, Tony. If you say so.” She frowned. “Are you going to tell her about Aaron?”    
  
Tony sighed. “I probably should...but she kind of made it seem like having children would be a dealbreaker.”    
  
“Tony...if you’re really serious about her, you should definitely tell her that you have a kid. Especially if she doesn’t want them. The longer you keep it from her, the worse it’s going to be when you do tell her.” 

“Yeah,” he murmured. “I know.” After a few moments of silence between the two of them, he said, “Alright. I’ll tell her today.” 

Giving him another small smile, Pepper nodded her head. “Good. Now, drink up your coffee, Mr. Stark.” 

“Of course, Miss Potts,” he replied, chuckling.

About half an hour later, Sasha walked into the kitchen, yawning. “Morning, Tony. Good morning, Pepper.” She got herself a glass of ice water and sat down at the table next to her boyfriend. 

"Morning, Sasha," Tony greeted, leaning over to kiss her gently. "Did you sleep well?"

Sasha kissed him back. “Very well.” She stretched, her joints popping. 

"I'm glad you did," he said, smiling warmly at her. "You want anything for breakfast? I can make us something if you'd like?"

“I can make something, if you want?” She offered. “If you’re not too picky, I could try to make a traditional Irish breakfast.”

He frowned. "Do you not want me to make you food?"

Pepper stood. "I'm gonna get going, actually." She looked at Tony. "You have an important meeting at noon,  _ please _ try to make it. And remember what we talked about."

“Have a nice day, Pepper.” Sasha smiled at her and then turned to Tony when she was gone. “No, of course I wouldn’t mind if you did. I just feel bad because you bought dinner last night so I just wanted to take care of you.”

Tony shook his head. "You're my guest here, Sasha. I'm gonna take care of you. It would be rude of me to expect you to cook while you're staying here at my request." He smiled brightly at her. "I want to make you breakfast,  _ honestly _ ."

Sasha smiled back at him. “Okay. I’d like that.”

"Good," he said. "Bacon and eggs sound good to you?"

“It sounds delicious,” Sasha replied.

With a quick nod, he got up, and started pulling out the things he needed to make the food. Once he got the bacon to start unthawing, he started to make the eggs. "How would you like yours?"

“I like them scrambled.” She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her head into his back. 

He smiled fondly once she did, feeling extremely lucky at that moment. "Scrambled it is," he whispered, as he started working on them. 

She kept her arms around him as he cooked, and he worked with that, maneuvering so he could grab the bacon from the warm water where it had been unthawing, cutting the package open so that he could start cooking it. As he put the bacon on the pan to start cooking, he leaned down to press a quick kiss to her hand.

Sasha giggled when he did, finally removing herself. “Don’t wanna get grease burns.” She explained.

He chuckled. "Alright," he said. He quickly finished the eggs, grabbing two plates and putting an equal amount on each plate, while also leaving some to take with him to give to Pepper as an apology when he was inevitably late to the meeting later that day. He also put the first few pieces of bacon onto Sasha's plate, handing it to her. "Here you go," he said, smiling. "I'll join you at the table as soon as I cook the rest of the bacon up."

“Thank you, Tony.” She kissed his cheek and went to sit down, starting to eat as she went. “It’s so fucking good.”

"I'm glad you think so," he said, chuckling. "I don't cook for just anyone you know," he said, after he finished cooking up the bacon, taken care of it, and sat down next to her. 

Sasha leaned against him as she ate, soon cleaning her plate.

He smiled fondly at her, before frowning. "I...I need to talk to you about something," he murmured. 

“Okay, what’s up?” She asked. 

"I...well, I have a son." He tensed up as he said it, waiting for her to decide she didn't want to be with him anymore.

Sasha froze. “You told me you didn’t want kids.”

"I don't," he said. "I have one, and that's all I need. And...I used to not want kids either." 

She just stared. “You still have one, and you didn’t tell me.” She took a deep breath. “Where is he?”

"I...I wanted to wait until I knew this had the potential to work," he said. "Aaron is one of my most guarded secrets...I don't tell  _ just _ anyone about him." He let out a small sigh. "He's at boarding school up in Maine. He goes there most of the year, he comes home for summer and holidays." 

Sasha looked down at her plate, seeming to consider for a few more moments. “Okay. I’ll stay with you.”

“You will?” he asked, shocked. He’d really expected her to decide to leave him, and was ready to have to say goodbye to her.

She nodded. “He’ll only be here for a few months out of the year. How old is he?”

"He's seven," Tony said. "I've only had him for two years...since his mother dropped him off at my doorstep."

Sasha’s eyes widened. “So...she’s not in the picture?”

He shook his head. "No, no she's not. She'll never be in the picture again if I have anything to say about it."

“Okay.” Sasha murmured. “Thank you for telling me.” 

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you," he said. "I just...I had to make sure, you know?"

“Alright.” Sasha shrugged as she got up to put her plates in the sink.

He just frowned. He wasn't upset that he'd told her, after all, he knew Pepper had been right. If he'd waited any longer to say something, she definitely would have left him. But still...she was clearly displeased with him anyways. "You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to," he murmured.

“I want to.” Sasha smiled softly at him. “I understand why you did it, I’m just still processing.”

"Okay," he murmured. "I...can I tell you something else?"

“Go ahead.”

"You might want to be sitting," he murmured.

She sat down. “What’s going on?”

"I want to tell you about how I got out of Afghanistan," he said.

Her eyes widened. “Oh, okay.” She looked around. “Do you want to go to the bedroom? Maybe that would make you feel safer...”

Shaking his head, he murmured, "Can we sit on the couch instead?"

“Okay.” She took his hand and led him there.

Once he was comfortable, he took a deep breath, and shakily told her about his time in his own personal hell. He told her about Yinsen and them building the suit together...everything. Including the guilt that had been slowly eating him alive since getting back. The guilt about all the weapons that he'd created and had ended up killing all those innocent people...and the guilt of Yinsen dying…

When he was done, Sasha had tears in her eyes. She immediately pulled him in for a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Tony. You didn’t deserve that, you did nothing wrong.” She sniffled, squeezing him tighter. “You thought you were doing something good. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know.” She buried her head in his shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m crying, I know it happened to you and not to me, but I just...I can’t help it.”

"It's okay," he whispered, hugging her tightly back. "I just...I need to make up for what I did...and I think I know just how to do it."

“What do you mean?” Sasha didn’t let go.

"I'd have to show you," he whispered. 

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” Sasha said, smiling. “Oh...you have to go to that meeting. Pepper will be mad if you’re late.”

Tony frowned, looking at the time. "I might already be late," he murmured. "That's okay, I made her apology breakfast."

“Okay, I won’t keep you.” Sasha kissed his cheek and wiped her eyes. “I’ll call a cab.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

Sasha smiled at him, kissing him on the lips. “Can I come back and stay the night tonight? After that...I want to be with you tonight.”

He nodded. "Of course you can," he said, smiling softly at her. He nuzzled her. "I'd like that very much," he admitted. 

Sasha smiled at him. "Good," he said, kissing him again. "I'll see you tonight, Tony."

"See you, Sasha," he said, smiling.

\-------

After the meeting was over with, Tony was walking down the hall, making his way to the parking garage to get to his car. 

Rhodey walked beside Tony. “How are you feeling? You seem a little better.”

Tony shrugged. "I've been doing better, yeah," he said.

“That’s good...” Rhodey paused. “Pepper told me you have a new girlfriend?”

"Yeah," Tony said. "She's amazing, and I just really like her already." He smiled fondly as he thought of Sasha. 

Rhodey smiled back. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like that when you talk about a girl.”

Shrugging, Tony said, “Yeah. She’s amazing, Rhodey...like you wouldn’t believe it. I’d like it for you two to meet soon.”

“I’d like to meet her.” He smiled at his friend. 

"Maybe later on this week?" Tony suggested, smiling back. "I told her about Aaron."

“How did she take it?”

"She was kind of mad at first, but forgave me," Tony murmured. "She's still willing to make us work."

“That’s good. Just look out for Aaron. You never know if she could turn out to be the evil stepmom or not.” Rhodey pointed out

"She's not," Tony defended. "I don't think she ever would do something that crazy."

“Alright.” Rhodey shrugged. "If you say so."

He nodded. "I do say so, Rhodey. If I didn't think this had the possibility of working, I would never of told her about Aaron. You know how protective I am of him."

Rhodey smiled at his friend. "Okay, Tones. I believe you."

Tony just grinned as he reached his car. "See you later, Rhodey. I'll see you later, I'll let you know when Sasha thinks it's best for you two to meet, okay?"

The military man nodded his head. "Alright," he said. "I'm looking forward to meeting this girl that's got you in such a good mood."


	6. Five

Anxiety overflowed in Sasha’s belly like a waterfall as she stared at herself in the mirror, trying to catch any flaws in her appearance or makeup. She was to meet another one of Tony’s closest friends today, James Rhodes, her boyfriend’s roommate during college. This wasn’t as daunting as Pepper for sure, and thankfully she wasn’t going to be disheveled and be dressed in Tony’s shirt, a pure indicator that they’d slept together the night before. 

After doing a final one-over and smoothing down her shirt, Sasha made her way downstairs to greet her boyfriend.

Tony gave her a soft smile when she came downstairs. "Hello," he said. "You look gorgeous."

A blush spread across her cheeks. “Thank you.”

"Rhodey is waiting for us at the coffee shop," he said, holding his hand out for her to take. 

Sasha smiled as she took it, though she was getting more nervous by the minute. Pepper hadn’t liked her, and she wasn’t sure if that had changed at all. She wanted to get along with Tony’s friends, especially since she didn’t have many friends herself. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, she’d just never clicked with anyone at college or with her coworkers, but it could get lonely. The only friends she had were back in Ireland, and due to time differences and just general life differences, they hardly ever talked anymore.

“Tony...what if he doesn’t like me?”

He frowned. "I'm sure he'll like you. He was just happy to know that I've got someone that makes  _ me  _ happy when I was telling him about you."

Sasha’s body relaxed a little, and she let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Alright. Thank you.” She got into the car. “Can we drive with the top up?”

He nodded, as he got into the car as well, putting the top up. Once he was buckled in, he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I'm glad you two are gonna meet."

“So am I. I  _ really _ want to get along with your friends. It’s important to me.”

Tony smiled. "Okay." As he started up the car, he reached over to squeeze her hand. "I'm positive you two will love each other."

She kept a tight grip on his hand while he drove, her nerves not calming down whatsoever. 

Tony soon pulled up to a small coffee shop, parking the car. "Oh, Rhodey's here already," he said, gesturing to a sleek grey car across the parking lot.

Sasha looked from James’s car to Tony’s, a soft smile spreading across her face. “You seem to have the nicest car here,” she joked as she stepped into the fresh air, smiling as the breeze blew through her hair. The smile quickly faded, though, when she noticed a group of young adults glaring at her and Tony. Actually, they only seemed to be directing their scowls at her boyfriend. 

“What the hell...?”

Tony frowned too. "Let's just go over to Rhodey." He led her to a corner table where Rhodey was sitting down already.

Sasha smiled at Tony’s friend, her heart pounding as she held out her hand. “I’m Sasha. It’s so nice to meet you, Tony’s told me so much about you. All good things, though!”

Rhodey smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Sasha. I'm James, but you can call me Rhodey if you'd like. Heaven knows that's all Tony'll ever call me."

Tony smiled, looking at Sasha. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

“No, I’m okay,” she assured, smiling at him as she sat down at the table. “So, Rhodey, what do you do?”

"Well, I'm gonna go get me some coffee," Tony said, going up to the counter.

Rhodey smiled at her. "I'm a Colonel in the army," he said. 

“Oh, that’s cool.” She smiled at him. “How long have you been there?”

"I've been there since shortly after college," he said, smiling.

“Damn, that’s a long time,” Sasha chuckled. “So...how did you and Tony become friends?”

He smiled. "We were roommates in college. He was a young little shit, and I took him under my wing to help him experience college better."

Tony came back just then, and put a muffin in front of Sasha. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but they were doing a buy one get one free thing, so there you go." He gave her a soft smile. 

She smiled and kissed him gently. “Thank you, love.” She took a bite of it. 

Tony smiled, sitting next to her. He put an arm around her. "So, what're we discussing here?"

“How you guys met.” Sasha leaned against him.  She frowned when her phone started vibrating. “Oh...oh, shit, it’s my boss...”

Tony frowned too. "You should answer that," he whispered.

“I’m really sorry...” she got up and went to a quieter part of the coffee shop. “Hello?”

“Sasha, I need you to come in right now. It’s urgent.” Sasha flinched at her boss’s tone. 

“Uh, what’s wrong, Stephanie?”

“We’ll discuss it when you get here.” There was a click and the line went dead.

Sasha shut her phone off, walking back to the table while dread settled in her stomach like ice. This couldn’t be about the photo with Tony...she hadn’t even seen that published anywhere. It couldn’t be, maybe there was just an emergency. Yes, there was an emergency, and Stephanie needed her help. 

“There’s a work emergency. I have to go, I’m so sorry.”

“Okay,” Tony said, kissing her forehead. “We can always reschedule this, right, Platypus?”

Rhodey nodded his head. “Absolutely. Sometimes work just calls, and you have to take that. Good luck, Sasha.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and called for a taxi. 

\-------

The picture was what the meeting had been about after all, much to Sasha’s dismay. And...she’d been fired. 

She hadn’t known what was more humiliating: clearing her desk as she’d wept or the silence of all her colleagues when she’d come out of Stephanie’s office. It was so embarrassing; they all knew that she’d slept with Tony. And that...well, it was going to leave a black mark on her record forever. 

Sasha couldn’t understand how she could have been so stupid. She’d worked so hard and for so long, and for what? To throw her whole career away on one night of passionate sex with a man who probably wouldn’t keep her around past the next month? 

_ Yeah, really smart, Sasha. Good thinking there. _

For once in her life, she was glad her mother was dead. She wouldn’t be around to see this or be disappointed in her daughter. The thought of her mother being disappointed in her just made Sasha cry harder; she’d always wanted so much to be just like her...and she’d turned into a slut.

She  _ had _ to tell him. There would be far less consequences for him than for her, which was the bitter way of the world, but she still had to tell him. With that, Sasha wiped her eyes and dialed Tony’s number. 

Tony answered immediately. “Sasha? Darling?”

“I was fired, they saw the picture of us that the paparazzi took on our date.” 

“Oh…” his voice dropped off. “Do you need me to come pick you up?” He asked. 

“No, I’m home,” she whispered. “I...I just thought I’d tell you it’s definitely going to be making the rounds.”

"Okay," he whispered. "Do you mind if I come over tomorrow just to visit you? I just want to make sure you're okay."

“Sure. That would be lovely, thank you.”

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow," he said. 

“Okay, bye. Sleep well.” With that, Sasha hung up the phone and went back to crying.

\------

The next morning, Sasha woke up feeling completely awful. Her eyes burned as though they were the Sahara Desert, and her throat was just as dry. Her nose was stuffed up from all the crying. If she looked this bad, how much worse did she look?

Sasha soon dragged herself out of bed and forced herself to eat something and doll herself up for Tony. 

When her door buzzer went off, Sasha buzzed Tony in, not even bothering to talk to him through the speaker. 

The billionaire then came into her apartment, smiling warmly at her. "Hello," he said, handing her a small bouquet of flowers. "How are you this morning?"

Sasha stared blankly at the flowers. “I’m alright.”

He frowned. "I'm sorry I made you lose your job," he whispered.

Sasha shrugged. “It takes two to tango. Besides, it isn’t your fault. I’m the one who made the decision.”

"It's still partially my fault," he whispered. 

“No it’s not,” Sasha murmured.

"But you just said it takes two to tango. Therefore, it's partially my fault." He frowned. "You don't...you don't want to break up with me because of this, do you?"

Sasha shook her head. “No, no, I don’t want to break up.”

"Okay," he said, clearly relieved. "That's good."

Tears started to pool in Sasha’s eyes, try as she might to stop them. They began to fall, and before she knew it she was sobbing and ranting about how she’d probably never be able to get another job and how everyone at work had made her feel like a whore. In her slightly hysteric state, she was slightly aware that Tony had wrapped an arm around her, and led her over to her couch, sitting down with her. The redhead instinctively moved closer to him, and was slightly aware of his whispering soothing words to her. 

Sasha hugged him to her tightly, sobbing into his shoulder, his scent calming her. He smelled of sawdust and the oil in his workshop, and of...wait.

Sasha pulled back. “Are you wearing Axe Body Spray?”

He turned slightly red. "I was out of my normal stuff, and I had a spare bottle of it in my medicine cabinet that Rhodey bought me last Christmas as a joke.”

Sasha started to giggle, but it turned into full blown laughing after a few minutes. “I think you should keep it. I...I kind of like it.”

He laughed too. "Okay," he said, smiling. "I'll keep that in mind when I go shopping again."

Sasha wiped her eyes and smiled softly at him. “I think I’m okay now. If you’re late for something...”

He shook his head. "I'm good," he said. "I think I'm gonna stay here with you today and we can order some food in." He kissed her forehead gently.

She smiled when he did. “Alright. Only if I pay, though.”

Tony grinned. "But I want to treat you."

“Okay.” She blushed. 

Tony grinned, nuzzling her. "What do you want to eat?"

“There’s a really good burger place down the street. We could order in from there.”

Tony grinned. "Alright. I'll look up their website and order something." He nuzzled her gently.

Sasha returned it, smiling as he ordered her her favorite from the place. 

\-----

As she lay with Tony in her bed after a relaxing day and a delicious dinner, Sasha reflected on how lucky she was. Her ex-boyfriend had never been so gentle or kind with her. He’d be nice for a little while, sure, but after some time he’d leave her to fend for herself and tell her to stop crying. Tony...he wasn’t like that. 

He really cared for her and wanted to see her happy. The only other romantic partner she’d had who’d been like that with her had been her first and only ever girlfriend in her teenage years in Ireland. She was glad to have found that same caring, gentle streak in Tony. 

Maybe getting fired would be the best thing that had happened to her in awhile, she thought as she fell asleep. 


End file.
